On Making A Difference

Wednesday April 18th, 2018

(Originally published Wednesday May 4th, 2016 for Women Connect)

Women Connect – Short posts to inspire and encourage

Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets. Hebrews 13:16 The Message

Just a drop in the ocean, not even touching the sides, barely making a ripple – – – and then there is this one – too little too late.

We can feel that way – the things that we do, the difference we make, the one foot we put in front of the other – can feel like not enough. Our smallness can weigh us down, our limitations even more so and some days the bigger scheme and how we fit in is all but lost on us.

But heres what I know, here’s what might change the look of your day, as you do what you do.

We have a God who works wonders and chooses us in our smallness to work those wonders. Wonders of love and kindness, forgiveness and mercy, patience and acceptance. Heart kind of wonders. Secret hidden wonders.

They don’t shout out loud or come wrapped up big and shiny too often. Mostly they come wrapped in plates of food and baskets of clean clothes, in phone calls and kind words and a lift down the town. In talks over back fences and time spent sitting with and standing by, in groceries and meals, in listening and just being there and getting up and starting over and not giving up and a gazillion other little things we might think don’t count for much, or we think we don’t do well.

But heres what’s worth remembering. You have been chosen to do what you do – not someone else. Your not where you are by some accident or a roll of the dice and theres not someone else who could be doing it better because its your work to do. God has handpicked you to be that family’s neighbour, that ones workmate, the mother of those children, the wife of that man, the husband of that woman, a best friend, a sister, a brother, an aunty, the one in the line or on the bus and sometimes even the one that happens to be there like it or not when that situation blows up or the wheels fall off.

Chosen – even on the days we want to take off running, on the days we feel like were getting nowhere fast and on the days we wonder if were making any difference at all.

Yet we make a difference just by being there, doing what we know to do – by being present, by not making a run for it. The difference is often smaller and quieter and slower than what we would like. Its probably not pin worthy, it may not go viral but its being made all the same. “You are an image bearer and you have a job to do – weather you see the results or weather you don’t” Emily P Freeman.

And success is showing up and kneeling down. Success is faithfulness, success is faithfully showing up, success is faithful obedience, success is service, success is kneeling down to serve and going lower and decreasing, so He is lifted higher and He alone increases: Success is showing up and kneeling down. Ann Voskamp

We would choose an easier way with saner people if it was up to us. We would choose less heart wrenching, less exhausting and less scary. We’d choose people we could get a handle on, not so messy and mixed up. We’d choose bigger and better and looking good while we do it. We’d choose things we feel more qualified for.

So just as well we don’t always choose, because we’d choose the easy way and we would never find out what we are made of, we’d never reach deep, we’d never lay hold of the miracle of God in us and God flowing out of us. We’d never discover that it’s not just about us, that it’s so much more. We’d never discover what He has put us here for, we’d miss the eternal – – – – we’d miss the whole point of it.

We were put here FOR EACH OTHER and the sooner we let God have His way with us, the sooner we’ll begin to see the miracle. Edie Wadsworth

So even when you can’t see the forest for the trees, when you feel small in what you do, when you think your mucking it up – and maybe you are. Know that He is cheering you on, know that it counts for so much more than you think, know that your doing the good heart hidden eternal work of loving people and whichever way you look at it – that’s huge. Its right there we lean into His grace and find out that in our very small smallness – that God can show up big.